Pest birds are a big problem in urban areas. Bird droppings can cause millions of dollars of damage to buildings inside and out. Birds deface buildings and bear disease-causing hazards.
Pest birds love to roost and nest on high-rise and historic buildings, in parking garages, and inside or behind letters of signs or billboards, to name a few.
When tenants, customers, and visitors visit a property, they want to be confident it is well-maintained and managed. The site of bird droppings and nesting materials is visually unappealing and sends a negative message about the brand and those taking care of the property.
Parking Garage
Birds often find refuge in parking garages and often create a mess on the cars housed there, angering customers. Parking lots suffer similar problems when birds roost on lights.
Historic Building
What makes a historic building attractive to birds is often its unique architecture and nesting cavities. Bird feces are acidic and can damage the stone façades on historic buildings.
Rooftop HVAC Units
Bird feces and nesting materials can clog ventilation units or worse, spread airborne diseases throughout the buildings, threatening the health of the occupants.
Birds on HVAC Equipment
Birds, primarily pigeons, roost on top of rooftop HVAC systems commonly found on commercial buildings. If the units offer shelter, pest birds will often nest in that protected space.
HVAC units are often on raised-up platforms. The space under the platform may be warm and dry, making it an ideal place for nesting materials and for birds to feel safe.
HVAC Problems & Risks Caused by Birds
Bird feathers, bird droppings, and nesting material can clog your HVAC’s evaporator coils. When the evaporator coils are plugged, they can’t release heat resulting in reduced airflow. Air filters can also become blocked and less efficient, reducing air quality, and posing a health hazard. In the event of a short circuit, the nesting materials used by birds are a fire hazard because they are highly combustible.
Restaurants and Hotels
Hospitality is all about making the customer feel at home. Birds, their nests, and droppings present a dirty environment, which can drive customers away and attract the health department because this poses a food safety hazard.
Airports
Birds are a threat to aircraft near airports. They often congregate around nearby fields and on runways. They also fly in the same airspace as airplanes causing a significant safety hazard.
High-Rise Buildings
High-rise buildings present an easy target for birds. They are up in the birds’ domain and provide multiple stories on which they can roost and nest.
Retail Stores
Image is everything. A dirty sign, storefront, or walkway presents the wrong image to customers.
Nooks and Ledges
Pigeons and smaller birds like sparrows nest and roost in small, protected features of buildings. Protected nooks are like custom homes for birds. Small and safe, out of the weather, they are often the birthplace of generations of birds.
Billboards/Signs
Pigeons primarily nest and roost in the intricate construction features of billboards. The backs of the signs, spaces under walkways; you name it, pigeons have plenty of spots to live.
Billboards are off the ground, away from predators, and have protected areas to raise a family.
